Press

HOW TO ADD YOUR NAME TO FLAG PETITION

First published on 23/2/2005

By Mark Hotton

New Zealanders living in the UK are still able to add their names to the rising tide of support for a referendum on whether the country’s flag should be changed, but there are certain criteria to meet.

Wellington businessman Lloyd Morrison is behind a campaign to get enough signatures on a petition to force a referendum on the topic at this year’s general election. He’s been promoting a new flag for some time, but the campaign appears to be gaining popular support.

Morrison told New Zealand News UK the idea of changing the flag has been around for some time.

"The critical question to be answered was whether the mood of the country was such that people felt the time for change was right now."

Part of his argument is that the New Zealand flag was hoisted upon a nation without the public having the chance to choose its own symbol.

"We have a colonial flag whose roots lie in the Imperial Colonial Naval Defence Act 1865 where colonies were required to fly a blue ensign with the badge of the colony on it.

"While it was later adopted in 1902 as our official flag after the embarrassment of New Zealand troops serving in South Africa without our own New Zealand flag, the actuality is that after nearly 200 years as a country we have yet to choose our own flag."

Morrison believes that wasn’t an issue while we were still a colony because our links with Britain were still strong, but now things have changed significantly.

"We are not part of Britain, the US or Asia – we are New Zealand are we have shown increasingly an ability to stand on our own two feet and compete.

"Today, young New Zealanders express a culture which is a blend of our European and Maori descendants, but which also reflects our position as the capital of the South Pacific and widely diversifying cultural mix.

He is adamant it is time for New Zealanders to have their say.

"We need a flag which reflects our evolving national identity, which inspires us as New Zealanders and portrays us as we would like to be portrayed to the rest of the world."

You must be over 18 and on the electoral roll to sign the petition. You can download the petition form from www.nzflag.com and sign it but it must be posted back to the address given.

In addition, citizens must have been returned to New Zealand for at least one day in the last three years. Overseas signatories must put the New Zealand address they lived at which is on the electoral roll, not their overseas address.

To make sure that you are on the electoral roll go to www.elections.org.nz

For more details and to download the petition form visit www.nzflag.com.